Lips of an Angel
by RedStarKae
Summary: Daniella was best friends with Leo and Elliot, and after Elliot's death, a romance begins to bloom between Leo and Danny.
1. To Fall in Love Again

I walk through the gates of Lutwidge Academy, happy to be back. I had spent a summer away from the place I considered home, and I missed it and the people. The first thing I saw was a group of my friends huddled under a tree, catching up with one another. Mia waves me over and they shuffle around so that I can join. A quick scan shows that neither Elliot nor Leo have arrived yet, and I frown. "Where are Elliot and Leo?" I ask them, hoping they know.

I knew it was a bad question when the entire mood changed. Everyone was looking at each other, but not me, and they all had somber faces on. Finally David spoke up. "You didn't hear? Elliot was killed... Leo vanished afterwards..." He said it sorrowfully, but I knew that David hated both of them, especially Leo. I couldn't breathe suddenly and my stomach was threatening to release all of it's contents onto the ground in front of me. David smirked at the group and continued. "How much you guys want to bet Leo finally broke and killed him? I could picture it, what with the way Elliot treated him. Can't say I miss either of them..." Everyone around us laughed but me; I stared daggers at him.

He slid an arm around my waist and pulled me closer to him. "They distracted you from me..."

I twisted away from him and slapped him. "They're my best friends, how dare you?! And don't act like we're together! I'd never date a creep like you!" Everyone was surprised by my outburst and I stormed away in the direction of Mr. Turner's office, but David chased after me and grabbed my arm, pulling me to a stop.

"Just who do you think you are, Ms. Scholarship? You think you're above me just because the Nightray family pays for your education? I'd bet that now that they don't have Elliot's lovesick ass begging them to give you the money to go here with him that you don't even still have a scholarship!" David squeezes my arm and I flinch. His hand is right on some of my bruises, making them scream in pain. The more I struggle against him, the tighter he grabs. We both know he'd never have even attempted this if he knew either Elliot or Leo were here, and suddenly I realize how little strength and power I have.

After a few moments of us staring at each other, his eyes filled with rage and a touch of jealousy, mine with fear, he lets go and walks away muttering to himself. I let go of a breath I didn't realize I was holding in and continue to the Headmaster's office.

Once there, I knock on his door and he opens it, round face filled with a smile. "Daniella! Good to see you, come in!" He says, gesturing for me to sit in one of the chairs. "I suppose you're here about what happened to Elliot..." He says, smile gone. "I'm so sorry for your loss... However, the Nightrays continue to fund your education, so you will still be here." He explains, as if reading my mind. I don't say anything as he rummages through his ever messy desk, searching for something. After a minute or two, he pulls out a small box with a letter taped onto it. The only word on the envelope is my name in perfect cursive.

The cursive I'd know anywhere.

I jump up and rip the letter and box out of Mr. Turner's hand, eager to see what Leo wrote me. I frantically tear the envelope open and unfold the paper. It's just one piece, and the letter is very short, but there was no doubt in my mind that it was Leo's handwriting; he has a very distinct way of writing my name, especially the "D" at the beginning.

_Dear Daniella,_

_I am so sorry I could not write to you sooner. I didn't want to risk it. But the pendant in the box is a gift for you from me. Open the locket and you'll find the song that I hear in my head every time I see you and finally got around to composing. I call it "Daniella."_

_Meet me at the Stoneway Cafe after classes today, around sunset. I no longer attend Lutwidge Academy and would greatly like to see you again._

_Love, Leo_

I reread it over twice, each time taking the "Love, Leo" in slowly, letter by letter, magnificent curve by magnificent curve. I carefully open the box and marvel at the beauty that Leo had given me. It felt wrong to open it and listen to the song, my song, he'd written in front of Mr. Turner, so I thanked him and left for my dorm, practically running down the halls, clutching my newfound treasure. Once there, I locked the door behind me.

Slowly and carefully, I opened the locket. The tune was the most beautiful thing I'd ever heard in my life ( watch?v=p9JIsgs3dGg), so simplistic yet so packed with emotion... I could feel my eyes filling with tears, and I started to laugh, still holding the locket in my hand.

Flashbacks of last year came to mind. I had almost always been around Elliot and Leo, and the more I had been around them, the more I fell for Leo. He was always so kind and patient, and he could be funny when he wanted to, not to mention how intelligent he was... It'd have been astounding if I didn't fall for him. I never thought he felt the same way... But then there was Elliot. David had been correct there, he was lovesick for me. Just as much as I was for Leo. On the last day of the school year, he'd asked me if he could speak to me in private. It was then he told me outright that he loved me, and then that I told him I didn't return his feelings. I did not, however, tell him about how I felt for Leo. As I walked away and turned a corner, I'd found Leo leaning against the wall, listening in, protecting his master in his own way. "Why don't you feel the same way?" He'd asked me in a hushed tone. When I told him I liked someone else, he looked down at his feet and blushed slightly, knowing it was him.

That was the last time I'd seen either of them. Looking back, I hated myself for my last words to Elliot before he died being that I didn't love him in the way he loved me, but at the same time I knew that I couldn't have known. I closed the locket and opened it back up in order to restart my song, and as it played I wiped away my tears and imagined seeing my face in Leo's glasses once again.

* * *

><p>The day ticked by slowly, and when my last class ended, I practically ran out of the class and off of school grounds. About a block away from the Stoneway Cafe, I stopped running and forced myself to catch my breath. I looked at my reflection in the window and pushed my long, brown hair back so that my part disappeared. I patted my cheeks a few times to give it a bit of flush and smiled at myself before walking the last block. When I turned the corner, I scanned for Leo's familiar long hair and big glasses, but don't find him.<p>

A man with long hair, though it was shorter than Leo's, and black eyes with flecks of gold in them smiled at me and waved me over. _If that Leo? _I think to myself. _No... It can't be... But his smile... It's the same... _I warily walk over and sit across from him. "Leo?" I asked, already knowing.

He laughs his laugh, the one I've memorized, the one so unique to him, and shrugs. "I am Leo, but not the one you knew. I am the improved Leo, trust me, you'll see. I ordered you your favourite: raspberry scone and earl grey tea, steeped strong."

I smile. "You remembered..." I whisper slowly. We'd only been here once together, and that was a year and a half ago.

"Of course I do!" He says happily, looking me in the eyes. I'm taken aback by his sudden outgoing attitude and confidence. "I remember everything you tell me." He says softer, still looking me in the eyes. "I've missed you, Danny... I never got a chance to tell you how I felt about you, and honestly, if Elliot were still here, I still wouldn't..." His face turns somber and his eyes grow watery. Instinctively, I reach out and put a hand on one of his cheeks. He leans into it and smiles. After a moment, he turns his head and places a hand underneath mine, as to not let me move it, and he kisses my palm.

Blushing, I ask him, "So this is how you've improved yourself? You've come out of your shell more?" We both chuckle a bit ad he turns his face back to mine, still holding my hand.

"I guess you could say that... There's a lot of ways that I've changed, Danny, and it's all for the better. I've found where I truly belong. I've found my family." He tells me. I smile and laugh slightly, surprised. He nods in response, and then thanks the waitress as she brings out our order. "When we're done here, I would like it if you would back home with me for a while. I live nearby, so we'll be able to visit one another often." He says, kissing my fingertips between pauses.

I rather liked the more outgoing Leo, though unlike the old one. He still had my favourite qualities, after all. _Improved indeed... _I thought as I lifted my cup up to my mouth. We sat together and caught up as we ate, at which point I ask him about Leo's murder and he told me everything he knew regarding it. From what he knew, they'd been at a party and a man had lead Elliot away, where he proceeded to kill him and end the legitimate Nightray bloodline. I had wrapped my hands over Leo's laced ones and told him it wasn't his fault. He smiled sadly up at me before standing up and offering me his hand. I let him lead me over to nearby carriage where a man with spiked hair and a red robe was waiting.

"Thank you, Fang." Leo said as the man opened up the door for me and him. It was a short, quiet ride, the majority of which was spent navigating along a narrow path in the woods. Halfway through, Leo reached for my hand and laced his fingers into mine, blushing slightly, all previous confidence nearly gone, replaced with the Leo I knew like the back of my hand. I reach up and kiss him lightly on his cheek, to test his reaction, and he blushed further, though pleased, and turned his head slightly away from me, shy once again. It was almost as though someone else had been in Leo's body earlier doing all the talking for him.

When the carriage stopped, the man named Fang opened the door back up and helped me and Leo out. The first thing I noticed was the pure size of the house in front of me. Not even the Nightray manor was this large. Leo lead me inside, where I became even more astonished. "Leo...?" I asked, not knowing what else to do.

He walked up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist, resting his head on my shoulder. "Apparently, I am from nobility..." He whispered in my ear. "That is all I can say as of this moment, however. Follow me." He said, unwrapping his arms and heading up a set of stairs, me trailing behind. I was lead into a bar room, where Leo instantly went around the bar and started pouring some scotch into two glasses. I was surprised when he handed me one, but did a toast with him anyways and gulped it down.

Leo kept pouring and we kept drinking, barely talking, but not needing to. "Last time we did this, Lord Nightray had to come to school grounds and bribe the school to keep us..." I slur after the fourth drink, tongue already feeling heavy. "Elliot was so mad at us... We tried to get him to join us, but he refused... Remember that?" We both laugh and continue drinking. Leo comes back around and sits next to me, pouring us glass number 10.

"I wanted to kiss you so badly that night, but even drunk I was too scared..." He tells me, leaning towards me. "Is it alright if I do it now?" He asks quietly, forcing himself to look me in the eyes. That kiss was the last thing I remembered from that night, and it wasn't until the next morning that I realized just how much we drank.


	2. To Learn the Mysteries

My first thought when I woke up was, _Where am I? _My bed at Lutwidge didn't have a canopy, so the presence of one was my first clue that I wasn't in my dorm. My second clue was the fact that there was a head laying on my bare stomach. Leo's hair was soft, and he looked so innocent when he was asleep. But I still didn't understand why I was laying in bed with him, naked. I gently roused him from his slumber, worried about the answer.

Before saying anything, he kissed my stomach over and over, slowly moving upwards to my breasts and then my neck. The answer became obvious. Leo and I slept together. "Good morning, dove..." He whispered in my ear. I could feel his smile as he buried his face into my neck and wrapped his arms around me. He was warm, and well muscled without being muscular. I hated myself for not remembering anything from the night before, wanting to know what it was like. "Do you even remember last night?" He asked quietly, as if he were reading my mind. I shook my head apologetically and he laughed a little before kissing my neck. "We could always do it again... Like right now..." He said between kisses, and I became very aware of my body's reaction to them.

I was too shy to say anything, so instead I brought Leo's lips up to mine and kissed him hard, hoping that was answer enough. He chuckled, and I could feel his body's response press against my leg. For a fraction of a second I wondered whether or not I was his first, but quickly stored it away and decided to enjoy what was about to come.

* * *

><p>It was more awkward at the beginning than I'd thought it would be, but we quickly fell into rhythm with each other. I felt hot and sticky afterwards, but in a good way. We watched the sun rise in the sky until it was right above us, neither speaking. Nothing needed to be said.<p>

Then, the door opened. "Leo, I've brought you your lunch!" I scrambled to pull the blanket over me upon hearing Vincent Nightray's voice. Leo chuckled as he sat up and saw Vincent's surprised expression at my being here.

"I thought I told you she was coming over." Leo said, stretching his arms. "We'll need more food than that."

Vincent bowed his head. "You said she was coming over; the fact that she stayed is completely new..." He looks up at me, amused. "Welcome to our humble abode, Miss Danniella. It's been a while." I nod in response, too uncomfortable to speak. He walks out and I scramble to get dressed before he comes back with our food.

Leo sighs in a fake disappointment and watches me. "Danny?" He says as I pull up my stockings. I turn my attention to him, and he immediately turns away, blushing. "Nevermind..." I watch him fiddle with his fingers for a minute, avoiding my eyes, and as I walk back over to him he pulls a book out of the end dresser drawer. _Little__ Women. _Again, not to my surprise.

Vincent walked back in a few minutes later with two trays of food and sets them down in front of us, not speaking and leaving immediately. As soon as the door closed, Leo leaned towards me slightly and began to read aloud. "'He was perfectly open and honorable about Meg, for he told us he loved her, but would earn a comfortable home before he asked her to marry him. He only wanted our leave to love her and work for her, and the right to make her love him if he could.'" He didn't move when he finished the quote, just sat and looked at his finger on the page, waiting for my response. It took me a moment to realize that he had a reason for choosing this particular quote from the book. Once he realized I had no words, he whispered, "I can take care of you now... I can protect you like no one else can... Now to make you love me..." He laughed and looked me in the eyes. The yellow spots in his eyes were moving, and I felt completely mesmerized by them. They were the most beautiful things in the world.

"I already do." I confided, blushing. "Why do the yellow dots in your eyes move?" He laughed at my random question and reached for my hand.

I stroked it with his thumb as he said, "That's a story for another time, Danny dove, one that I won't tell you just yet... It has to do with how I got here, I'll tell you that much. Do you have any other questions for me to avoid?"

I laughed and let them all fly out. "What is Vincent doing here and why is he serving you? How are you suddenly a part of a noble family? Why didn't you come back for me earlier? What happened to you and why are you so much different? How is my tuition still being paid for? What happened to the Nightray family?"

He held his hands up in surrender. "Hold up! Okay... So Vincent vowed his loyalty to me when everyone in the Nightray family was killed. He now serves as my valet. I can't tell you why I'm here just yet, and I didn't come back for you earlier because I was scared..." He gently ran his finger along some of the bruises that covered my body. "Scared that I'd have to hurt him... If you father ever hit you around me, I can tell you this, you'd no longer have a father. I don't think you'd like me too much after that." He laughs to himself and looks me in the eyes. "Vincent is using the Nightray savings to continue your education, however, if you may so choose, we will cancel the payments and you could just live here. With me."

I wanted to. The idea made me smile; Leo and me, together like this all the time. But I was scared and if he couldn't trust me enough to tell me how he'd gotten here, then I couldn't trust him enough to live under the same roof.

"You know, Danny dove, now you're more than my best friend..." He chuckled as he leaned closer to me, letting his lips lightly graze mine. I knew he was trying to influence me to move in, and I'll admit... It was working. "I wonder what Elliot's thinking right now... About us, I mean..." When he pulled away, I could see his face was somber and his eyes were growing wet. "He's so selfish... I was enjoying myself until now... Why does it even matter anymore?" The question wasn't for me. It was for himself. "He took credit for my song, and he never once considered my feelings about you or anyone else. So why do I still care?"

I knew he needed comforting, but didn't know what to say, so I reached out to touch his cheek. He didn't look at me as he pulled my hand away from him. He kept his eyes closed and slowly his expression softened into bliss. "I'm sorry about that, Danny dove. I'm okay now." There was something different about Leo now. I wasn't sure what to think. It was as though someone else had taken over for him. This Leo seemed more... cheerful. Carefree. And it was wrong.

"What happened to you?" I ask him, scared. "This isn't you, Leo..."

He sighs, still smiling. "You're right. It's not me. I'm not Leo, not currently. Leo's a little... Emotionally unstable, right now. He'll be back when he calms down. For now, I'll be here. You're Leo is right," He points to his head, "here. As is several other people. We are all known as Glen, but you may call me Levi." He held his hand out to me. "You met me yesterday for a partial amount of time before Leo decided he could do this on his own. Normally Oswald would come out to play, however, Leo believes you and I have a greater compatibility, so here I am." His smile was very blissful, a calm kind of happy, very unlike Leo's cheery and bright one.

I look down at his extended hand and stare at it. I was confused and scared. I wanted to tell myself that Leo wasn't crazy, but I didn't know anymore at that point.

"Let me explain." He announces. "Leo is the new Glen Baskerville, head of the Baskerville clan. We work to release Glen from his bounds and create and preserve balance in the Abyss, a dimension in which the souls of the dead travel through. The gold flecks that you see in Leo's eyes are droplets of light and power coming from the Abyss. I know that this is a lot to take in right now, but you will learn more as we go, saying you decide to stay."

The man called Levi who was residing in Leo's body looked at me expectantly, waiting for my answer.

"I'll stay..." I decide, seeing how much Leo needed me.


	3. To Hide What Is Real

Once Leo had calmed down and returned to being in control, Fang drove us and Vincent back to Lutwidge Academy, where Vincent would cancel my tuition and Leo and I would pack my things to bring them back. I didn't have much, and the majority of it were things that the Nightray family had provided for me (clothes for outside of classes, books, a set of watercolour paints, and a pad of heavy paper for my paintings). It seemed simple enough. However, one of the students had other plans. David was sitting outside the school under the tree with people that I used to consider my friends, and he was the first to notice.

"Danniella!" He jumped up and ran towards me. "Where the hell have you-" He cut himself short when he realized Leo and Vincent standing behind me. The look on his face was so fearful, I almost laughed. "Leo?" He asked, hoping it wasn't him.

Leo just smiled and nodded and continued walking away, placing an arm around my waist to guide me with him. David was not pleased by this notion and followed us.

"What are you doing with him, Danniella? He's a murderer, he killed his best friend, and he'll kill you, too, don't think otherwise!" He walked backwards, facing me, and stopped abruptly. "I don't want you getting hurt, please. Listen to me." I looked him in the eyes, face as stoic as I could manage. "I'm sorry about yesterday. I shouldn't have said what I did, and I shouldn't have grabbed you like that, but I just want what's best for you." His eyes were filled with regret, fear, and worry, and I knew he was being sincere, but I couldn't bring myself to forgive him. "Don't go with him." He begged.

I didn't have a chance to respond before Leo butt in, angrier than I'd ever seen him. "I did _not _kill Elliot, and anyone who says I did is vastly uninformed and doesn't know me at all! And if you think that I would ever lay a harmful hand against her," Leo pointed behind him at me, "then you need a reality check, David, because Danny is the only person who comes anywhere close to being as important to me as Elliot was! I've always hated you, but now I wouldn't mind breaking your face, because in the past few seconds you've insulted me and the two most important people in my life!"

You could smell David's testosterone rising. He puffed out his chest and stood taller, face defensive, and clenched his fists. "Don't mess with me, Leo. I'm twice your size and could take you down in an instant." He warned, slowly leaning towards him. Vincent walked over quickly and lead Leo and me away from him.

"Now, Master Leo, you wouldn't want to lose your temper in front of Miss Danniella, calm down..." He soothed, worried. "Now go pack her things, and we will leave afterwards." Vincent was scared, I could hear it in his voice. I couldn't help but wonder what about. I told myself that it was somehow connected to him being Glen Baskerville and the Abyss and didn't want to think further into it.

* * *

><p>Levi took over after that. "Leo doesn't like being outside when he starts thinking of Elliot." He explained, the outside referring to being in control of Leo's body. "Not that he likes either Oswald or me on the outside, especially when you're around, but this makes life easier for him. You understand, right?" I nodded, though I wasn't entirely sure. Then again, Leo had always been full of mystery. "Anyways, Dove, let's get to know each other. We'll be seeing a lot more of each other than Leo would like. If it helps, you could always just think of us as 'Glen.'"<p>

I shake my head and look around my surroundings. I was in the Baskerville garden, having my afternoon tea with Levi. "You are all separate minds, Levi, from what I can tell and what I have seen."

He chuckles softly. "You are very correct, Dove. We are very separate minds, though very much the same being. You'll have to learn to live with that. Tell me about your father. All I know is what Leo's thought about."

I look at him in alarm and discomfort. I didn't want to talk about my father, but the look in his eyes made me want to trust him. "He's abusive. I don't have anything else to say about him." I whisper, choking up at it. He reaches over and pushes my sleeves up, examining the bruises on them. His eyes turn sad. Somehow, he doesn't look like Leo, though he was in Leo's body. I caught a glimpse of a man white long, white hair, pulled back into a ponytail. The Levi in front of my looked at me and smiled, and I realized I was looking at the real Levi. Then I was seeing Leo's face again.

"Hello, Danny." Leo seemed relieved to be back to the outside, until he looked past me. "Danny, dear, would you mind finishing your tea alone? I have some, uh... Some Baskerville business to attend to." Without waiting for me to answer, he kissed my cheek and scurried off around the house. Little did I know at the time that Leo was seeing a man that knew Leo as Glen, a man that would scare me down to the bone and endanger my life.


End file.
